Guitar Players...How Often Do You Change Strings?

[jalevinemd]

Not to offend you bassists, but I imagine those suspension bridge cables that you string your instruments with probably last a bit longer. :-)
 
This is new territory for me. Until recently, this never was really an issue. I rotated through many guitars, so no single one got all of the abuse. Since acquiring my latest Alembic a few months ago, it's the only one I play.
 
So...if you play the same guitar everyday for anywhere from 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours per day (a fair bit of bending), how often would you recommend a complete string change.

[elwoodblue]

What strings do have on now? I guess my answer would depend on that.
 
My experience is the strings that go for $5-$10 a set last a month, maybe two.
My favorite of that category is the Curt Mangan pure nickels.
 
 I have Thomastik Infeld Power Brights on my daily player (and many others) and they have sounded  
(and felt) good even after 6 months. I do alot of bending and tremelo; they stand up to what you throw at them.
I'd change them after 2-3 months if I was going to be recording.

[lbpesq]

I usually use GHS Boomers, 10-46.  For many years I used D'Addarios.  Like most

[jazzyvee]

When I practice at home or at rehearsal I generally use only one specific guitar and only change the strings when they are really dull sounding. As for gigging guitars, it depends on what music I'm playing. If it's anything that has a lot of strumming like funk, calypso or reggae etc, usually once they have played 2 or 3 gigs I change them unless they are Elixir in which case I change them when i feel they are losing their tone.  I use a heavy Dunlop 3mm stubby so the strings can get a lot of hammering action.  
 
If its something with less choppy strumming I'd change less regularly.
 
Regardless of guitar,  if any string breaks I always change the whole set regardless of how long they have been on the guitar.

[gtrguy]

I don't like the sound of new guitar strings, so I probably go longer than many players. I like D'Addarios nickel strings just fine and don't see any need for anythng higher priced. Whatever they might 'lack' in brightness after a while, I can more than make up for with my amps.
 
However, I do play hard and must carry a backup set while gigging. I do change strings more often on the couple of guitars I have that have whammy bars (edge) that will go way out of tune if you break a string and are a pain to get back in tune afterwards. I keep whammy bar locks on those but sometimes they are not tightened up if I use the bar so it will go way down.
 
Whenever I think of the sound of new strings I think of the opening guitar on 'Play that Funky Music', which has that classic too-new-of-a-guitar-string sound, witch I don't like!

[jalevinemd]

Yeah...I realize there are no hard and fast rules. Mine have been on a little over two months and there's definitely a slight loss in brightness. They also seem to have lost a little spunk and the low E doesn't want to stay in tune as well as it did. Part of this may be the need for a little nut lube, though, as it tends to go sharp. I play with DR Pure Blues (9-42). Think it's time to get a new set on there.
 
Thanks.

[5a_quilt_top]

OK - several variables here shown in no particular order of importance:
 
First - what gauge of strings do you use? 8's and 9's typically wear out faster than 10's or 11's - especially if you're doing a lot of bending.
 
Second - Are you playing in a controlled environment like at home or in a studio or at clubs or outdoors? High humidity can have a huge impact on string life and tone - the higher the humidity, the duller the tone and the shorter the string life.
 
Third - are your hands and fretboard clean? Dirt can transfer from both to your strings and kill them quickly.
 
Fourth - round wound vs. flat wound. Flats are more mellow sounding to begin with, so it is more difficult to hear a tone change due to age / wear than with round wound strings. I have guitars strung with flats that have the same set of strings in place for over 5 years.
 
Fifth - differences in body chemistry. A friend that I occasionally jam with has the ability to kill a set of strings after about 5-10 minutes of playing. Needless to say, I don't change my strings before I see him because if he touches my guitar, new strings won't matter. On the other hand, I'm very fortunate - a set of strings can last me 2-3 gigs and several rehearsals before they sound a little off.
 
I change strings if the open low E sounds like a thud instead of a twang, if they won't stay in tune, if there are significant fret dents on the wound strings or if the unwound strings are discolored and feel brittle (which means they'll probably break).
 
Interesting fact: I received my Alembic Skylark in March - strung with Alembic strings - and I have gigged this guitar and used it in rehearsals relentlessly over the last 4 months. I changed the strings for the first time this past Saturday and only because the humidity at the gig I played the Friday night prior was incredibly high, so they finally sounded a little dull.
 
For me, that's a new record for round-wound string life on a guitar.

[paulman]

Glad you're really connecting with YOUR guitar!  
 
The Further is the only guitar I play, nothing else compares.  I'm usually running a 10-49 or 11-52 and play twice a week with musicians and about 30 minute of practice by myself a couple of times a week.  
 
The fretboard gets wiped down before it goes in the case, and I have a wool polishing cloth for Silver that I run down the strings to remove surface corrosion.  Strings are changed every 8-12 weeks.
 
Suggestion for changing strings.  I'm paranoid about neck tension.  Change strings 1 and 4, then bring them up to tune.  Do the same for 2 and 5, bringing them back to tune and then 3 and 6.  
 
This way you don't change the neck tension too much, and the process goes way faster.  

[jazzyvee]

Interesting paulman I change mine one at a time going from the outside in. So 6 then 1, then 5 then 2, then 4 then 3, bringing all strings up to pitch and stretching the new string in till it maintains pitch before changing the next one in the sequence.
 
Seems to work well for me but interesting to see someone else has a different methodology. I've no idea when I started doing it that way but it's something I've been doing as far back as I can remember so it must have seemed pretty logical not to take all the strings off in one go especially a guitar with a whammy bar.  I'm just the same on bass.  
The only time all the strings come off is when I'm oiling the neck.

[lbpesq]

I remove all strings first.  Then clean and polish.  Then, on a 3/3 peghead, I put on the low E, then A, then D without tightening very much.  Then I do high E, B, and G in order.  Then I tune to pitch, play, re-tune, play, re-tune, play, etc. until the strings hold pitch.  On a six-in-line peghead (Fender). I change the order to EADGBE.
 
Bill, tgo

[gtrguy]

I wait till I break one (usually during a minor gig), then I get flustered and then I feverishly remove the broken string and throw on a new one and tune it all up and stretch them as fast as I can and then I swear I'll replace them sooner next time.

[JuancarlinBass]

Same approach here as Jazzyvee. Have seen too many weird things happening to guitar and bass necks when tension changes in a more than mild way, and found this approach is the gentlest on necks and truss rods. If I have to clean gunk and stuff (which I try not to let build up so much, and if it does -which means I've been lazier than usual- I would be too embarrassed to admit, hehe!), I do it BEFORE changing the strings, usually by putting a wood block between the strings and the neck, which I move across depending on which point I'm working into, and always trying to keep a certain amount of string tension (hence the wood block) so the neck is never fully relaxed. Then I move the wood block to the side to set the strings free (first the 6th, then the 5th and so on) and somehow retension the strings , and last I replace and stretch the strings the way JV said. Has worked well so far, and I usually don't need to readjust the necks afterwards.

[jalevinemd]

Interesting approaches. I used to do what Roger does because I was afraid of sudden changes in neck tension. Then I heard it has no significant impact to remove all strings at once. So for the last few years I've done it the way Bill does. Is it just an old wives tale that it's bad for the neck to remove them all at the same time?

[bigredbass]

You guys kill me:  IF I could buy a set of strings for $5-$10, I'd change them every week!  
 
I'm fussy enough I like to clean and oil the fingerboard and shine up the frets, so as I'm not playing out any more, this happens every 4 to 6 months and I always take them all off, do the business, and then re-string.
 
It seems to pretty much go back where it was, at least on my axes.
 
Joey

[jazzyvee]

I'm sure i've read on the forum that it isn't a problem with the neck to remove all the strings at the same time and to be honest my main reason for the way I do it is so that it takes less time to re-tune the guitar since the whammy bar doesn't move significantly changing one string at a time. Actually my strat Ultra has a wilkinson tremsetter which makes retuning a breeze.